The NFL's dramatic kickoff changes caught the attention of former President Donald Trump on Friday, who slammed the changes in a post on Truth Social.
“I can't believe the NFL is effectively eliminating the always exciting kickoff returns. Such an exciting part of football. What are they doing? The beginning of the end!” Trump wrote.
The NFL's new kickoff rules dramatically change function and aesthetic from what longtime fans are used to, causing confusion early in the season.
The new rules have changed the positioning of both teams while also incorporating different zones that play a key role in what players can do.
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Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders players line up for the second half kickoff of a preseason game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota on August 10, 2024. The NFL will implement new rules regarding kickoffs this season. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Now, all kicking team players must line up with one foot on the receiving team's 40-yard line; previously they had to line up at their own 35-yard line. Kicking team players must wait to start running until the ball hits the ground or a player is in the “landing zone” or end zone. The “landing zone” is from the receiving team's 20-yard line to the goal line.
The receiving team, on the other hand, is designated a “set-up zone” – a five-yard area between the 35-yard line and the 30-yard line – in which at least nine players must line up facing the kicker.
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The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers will face off in the opening game of the season on September 6, 2024 at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, Brazil. (Wagner Meyer/Getty Images)
In this case, at least seven of the nine players must have a foot on the 35-yard line. Players who are not on the 35-yard line must be in the setup zone outside the hash marks. Additionally, like the kicking team, players on the receiving team cannot move until the kick hits the ground or a player in the landing zone or end zone.
The aim of the change was to reduce the risk of injury as the kick-off has traditionally been the most dangerous play in football, while at the same time encouraging more returns. The previous rules led to players running at each other at high speeds from long distances, resulting in frequent high-speed collisions.
Kickoff rules have been adjusted several times in response to the high risk of injury from the play.
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell attends the Super Bowl Host Committee handover press conference at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on February 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
In 2011, the league moved kickoffs five yards forward to the 35-yard line, which made it easier to kick the ball deeper into the end zone and led to more touchbacks with teams starting at the 20. In 2016, the touchback was moved to the 25-yard line, encouraging more touchbacks. Then last season, returners were allowed to call for a fair catch anywhere, not just in the end zone, leading to the lowest return percentage in NFL history.
So the league is now using this new rule to facilitate a return while still ensuring safety.
The new rule was inspired by the kickoff rules of the XFL, the NFL's now-defunct low-budget rival, but the XFL merged with the USFL this year to create the UFL, and ironically that league still has the traditional kickoff.
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